Now in This
Time, or in the World to Come? (Matt 19:29-30, Mark 10:28-31)

#1.The Parable of the First and the Last
(Matt 20:1-16)

Are These
Wages, or Are These Gifts? (John 15:5, 1Cor 10:10)

Why Do You
Begrudge My Generosity? (Matt 20:15, Rom 6:23, Mic 7:18)

#2.An Ominous Connection (Matt
20:16, 22:13-14, 7:13-14)

Another
Example of the First and the Last (Luke 13:23-30)

Many Are
Called But Few Are Chosen (Matt 8:5-12, Gal 3:28-29)

#3.Chosen to Hear About Rewards (Luke
17:10)

Please
open your
Bibles to the Gospel According to Matthew 19:29 (2X). The sermon of last
week was titled, “Rewards”
(2X). A Dutch expression goes as follows: “Here is a little mouse with a
long tail”, meaning that this subject of rewards is connected to many, many
consequences. And these are not irrelevant consequences. These are consequences
with a bite, by which I mean that they pertain to salvation and damnation.
Let me show you this in the present sermon, which is titled, “Many First Shall Be Last and the Last
First” (2X). Last week’s sermon dealt with the text of Matt 19:27-29,
where Peter raised the question if there would be any rewards for the twelve
disciples. What he really meant was, “Are there any special rewards for us?”
Many more people have asked this question. And they believe they do have
special rewards. But to this the Lord Jesus gave two answers. You mean:

Now in This Time, or in the World to
Come? (Matt 19:29-30, Mark 10:28-31)

To
sum it up, the Lord Jesus spoke in Matt 19:29-30 these words,

Mt 19:29And every
one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit
everlasting life.

Mt 19:30But many that are first shall be last; and the
last shall be first.

It
is hard to see that the little word “and”
toward the end of verse 29 separates the 2 answers the Lord Jesus gave.
This answer was not only directed to Peter, but to all of us. It is
directed to all of us who became saved, who have forsaken all that they had,
and have followed Jesus. But what is it that we shall receive an
hundredfold? And what shall we inherit when we inherit everlasting life?
That is such an abstract concept. The answer Jesus gave in verse 29 is not as
transparent as we would like it to be. And therefore we turn to the parallel
passage in the Gospel of Mark. Please turn now to the Gospel According
to Mark 10:28 (2X). Where do WE expect our rewards? Do we expect
them now in this time, or do we expect them in the world hereafter? Last week I
did talk about verse 29, but I did not talk about the mysterious clause in
verse 30 that “many first shall be last; and the
last first”. And in the answer of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel
of Mark, the same mysterious clause is found at the end of Jesus’ answer. Jesus
spoke about our rewards in this life, and our rewards in the life to
come.

Mr 10:28-29Then
Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto
you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father,
or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,

Mr 10:30But he shall
receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Mr 10:31But many that are first shall be last; and the
last first.

And
so, we see that now in this time, in this life, we receive “houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and
children, and lands, withpersecutions”, and we receive these “an
hundredfold”, meaning in abundance”.And in the world to come we all receive the same “eternal
life”.All receive

the same reward. To drive home this last point the Lord Jesus told His disciples
about:

#1.The Parable of the First and the Last
(Matt 20:1-16, 22:13-14)

Please
turn again to
the Gospel of Matthew 19:30 (2X). The Lord Jesus continued His answer to
Peter’s question with the words, “But many first
shall be last; and the last first”. Why and how does this mysterious clause
have anything to do with the question of rewards? We can only see this if we
connect the following parable to this question that Peter had. And do you see
that the Lord Jesus started this parable with the word “For”. The word “For”
connects this parable to Peter’s question about rewards, and especially it
answers all those people who are seeking special rewards in the life hereafter
for the “O-so-good-works” they have done in this life. Let’s read this
parable.

Mt 20:1-2 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out
early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.And when he
had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day (= a Denarius a day), he sent
them into his vineyard.

Mt 20:3And he went
out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

Mt 20:4-5And said
unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give
you. And they went their way.Again
he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

Mt 20:6-7And about
the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto
them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?They
say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into
the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that
shall ye receive.

Mt 20:8-9So when
even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the
labourers, and give them their hire,
beginning from the last unto the first.And
when they came that were hired about
the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

Mt 20:10But when the
first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they
likewise received every man a penny.

Mt 20:11And when
they had received it, they murmured
against the Goodman of the house,

Mt 20:12-13Saying,
These last have wrought but one hour,
and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of
the day.But
he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou
agree with me for a penny?

Mt 20:14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

Mt 20:15Is it not
lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am
good?

Mt 20:16So
the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few
chosen (= elect).

You
can see the scenario that Jesus is painting. A rich man hires laborers
to work in his vineyard. He goes to the marketplace at 6 O-clock in the morning
and finds people with whom he agrees to pay them what is fair: One Denarius
for one day’s labor. He hires more people at 9 O-clock in the morning, and at
Noon, and at 3 O-clock in the afternoon, and he even hires people at 5 O-clock
in the afternoon, shortly before quitting time. And then he gives them all the
same amount of money, whether they have worked long, or whether they have
worked a short time. And now only 2 groups of people are in view: Those who
have been hired early in the morning, and those who have been hired close to
quitting time. And then we have to ask ourselves:

·Are These Wages, or Are These
Gifts? (John 15:5, 1Cor 10:10)

When
Jesus said, “the Kingdom of heaven is like” we are reminded that this is
a parable that refers to the Gospel and to the way of getting into the Kingdom
of heaven. Remember that this is only a parable and thus we should not try to
fit every detail into the truths of the Gospel. But what are the main
principles that are conveyed in this story? The householder represents God, who
is appointing laborers for His vineyard. We remember that the Lord Jesus said,
“I am the vine, ye are the braches”, in John 15:5. And so, the
vineyard represents the OT congregation, or the NT church, where Christ is
present. The end of the day represents the time of the death of the body. It is
quitting time. The main principle is this: God draws people into
His congregation to do whatever work needs to be done. Some are drawn early in
life, and some are drawn shortly before their body dies. But whatever work they
have done in this life, or whatever they have accomplished, it does not
contribute one iota to the blessedness of eternal life with Christ in the
NH&NE. Both the Pastor and the janitor receive the same eternal life, if
they are saved. Both the rich man and the beggar receive the same eternal life,
if they are saved. Martin Luther and John Calvin will receive the same eternal
life as the “Thief on the Cross”, who was saved in the nick of time. The people
who were hired just before quitting time, who are called “the Last”,
what did they receive? They received
a Gift. It was unexpected. They were overjoyed. It was much more than
they had hoped for. The favor of the Rich Man rested upon them. It reminds us
of the unmerited favor of God that is called grace. It is true,
they worked for an hour before quitting time, but the Rich Man’s favor was upon
them already before they had done any work. When He hired them, He intended to
pay them much more than they expected. Now let us look at the people who were
hired early in the morning, who are called “the First”; what did they
receive? They received their fair
Wages. They wanted the Rich Man to be fair. They wanted to
receive what was coming to them, and they did receive it. God will be fair to
those who want to be treated fairly. There are those who say, “What
is the big deal? Didn’t all the laborers get a Denarius? The Last were
first in line to receive their money, and the First were last in line to
receive their money. What is the big deal? So what if I am going to be last in
line? I am still saved.” Well, the big deal is that they have not looked
closely at this parable and at its consequences. Let us consider the group that
is called “First”. You noticed that they murmured against the
Goodman of the house. This is a big tip off to their inner condition, the condition
of their heart. This verb, “to murmur” <1111> is in every case in
the Bible used of people who are not saved, and who are murmuring
against God for being unfair. For example, we read in 1Cor 10:10, “Neither murmur ye <1111>, as some of them also murmured
<1111>, and were destroyed of the destroyer”, which refers to the children of Israel during their
wanderings in the wilderness. And from Hebrews chapter 3 we know that
most of them were not saved. So the “First” group murmured
against God. Paraphrased God says to them:

Look
at what the Lord Jesus said in Matt 20:15, “Is
it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil,
because I am good?” In other words, “Are
you angry because I have poured my favor upon someone else?” What does that
tell us of the condition of this man’s heart? Well, he wanted the Goodman of
the house deal fairly with him. Do we want God to be fair with
us? Absolutely NOT! We do not desire God to be fair with us! We desire
God to be merciful on us. But not fair. If God would be fair He
would send all of us to Hell. Have you noticed that the quality of the
work of the laborers in the vineyard did not enter into the picture? And that
is because the Bible tells us that even our best works are like filthy rags
in the sight of God. All our works are tainted with sin. How then can we offer
those filthy rags to God and expect Him to reward us for those filthy rags?
Certainly, if we insist, He will reward us for those works, but the reward is
an eternity in Hell. And you see, that is exactly what the group of people who
were hired early in the morning, who are called the “First”, were asking
for. They did not realize what they were asking for. But if we interpret this
Parable with what the rest of the Bible has to offer, then we must conclude
that this group of people was unsaved. They were murmuring because they
reject a God who can be generous. They serve a god who knows no grace, nor
mercy, and who requires that each gift must be earned or deserved.
Therefore they will receive for their works the fair wages that they bargained
for. You see, their Denarius was their Wage, whereas for the group who
were hired last their Denarius was their Gift. The Lord Jesus painted
the contrast between the First group and the Last group: One group
received the wages of sin, and the other group received the Gift of
God. And God again painted a contrast between those two groups in Rom
6:23, where God says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord”. The wages of sin is death. Physical
death is not the penalty for sin, because on the Last Day there will be many
people who will enter eternity without physically dying. However the unsaved
will be cast into Hell body and soul, and the death that God has in view is not
physical death, but the 2nd death, which is to be cast into the Lake
of Fire and be tormented there for an eternity. Can our God be generous? Indeed He can be! Our God bestows
His grace, or unmerited favor, upon many laborers who were hired “Last”. They
too committed works that were tainted with sin, but God mercifully forgave them
those sins. Can our God be merciful?
Indeed He can be! God says in Mic 7:18, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by
the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger
for ever, because he delighteth in
mercy”. How do God’s acts of mercy show? God’s greatest act of mercy
was on Friday, April 3, in the year AD 33, when the Lord Jesus Christ, laden
with the guilt of all the sins of all those whom He chose to save, suffered and
died in their place on the cross of Golgotha. By this act of substitution for
us Christ mercifully forgave us the penalty for all our sins, because He
paid for them in full there on the cross. Moreover, Christ also generously
bestowed on us the Gift of eternal life with Him in the NH&NE. And so, I
have portrayed these two groups of laborers in the vineyard as those who are condemned
to Hell, and those who are given the Gift of eternal life. Does God
agree with this conclusion? Indeed He does. Let me show you:

#2.An Ominous Connection (Matt
20:16, 22:13-14, 7:13-14)

We
read here in Matt 20:16, “So the last shall be first, and the first
last: for many be called, but few chosen”. We talked about the Last and the
First groups of people, and God identified these two groups of people with the
words, “for many be called, but few chosen”. Who are the many, and who
are the few who are chosen? Please turn a few pages to Matt 22:13
(2X). There in Matthew chapter 22 the Lord Jesus told His disciples about the great
wedding feast that shall be celebrated at the end of time. It will be the
marriage feast of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Body of Believers,
the eternal church. Only those whose sins have been paid for at the
cross are invited to the wedding feast. All others will be removed far
away into a place called Hell. Here in Matt 22:13 is one of those who will be
cast into Hell. We read in Matt 22:13,

Mt 22:13Then said
the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mt 22:14For many are
called, but few (are) chosen.

Here
in verse 14 are exactly the same words we found in Matt 20:16. “For many are called, but few chosen”. And even though your English KJ Bible does not exactly
say the same in these two places, in the Greek Textus Receptus they are letter
for letter exactly the same words. God directed us to this passage to
clarify the words we found in Matt 20:16. What does it mean, “For many are called, but few chosen”? It means that only the chosen ones may be present at the
great wedding feast of Christ and the church. And they are not many, but few. Please
turn to Matt 7:13 (2X). Only a remnant chosen by grace will be saved. We do
not know why God will not save many more. We must leave that in His hands.
Certainly, God knows what the best plan of salvation is, and God knows
how to be a Just Judge. But it is certain that only a minority will be saved
and that the great majority will choose the road to Hell, just like the
laborers did who had been hired “First” in the vineyard. The Lord Jesus
addressed this matter of the many and the few in the Sermon on
the mount, in Matt 7:13-14.

Mt 7:13Enter ye in
at the strait (= narrow) gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction (= Hell), and many there be which go in thereat:

Mt 7:14Because
strait (= narrow) is the gate, and
narrow (= troubled) is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

And
so, here we
find that from the entire world population only a remnant will be saved.
Let us now apply this. Today, when you hear of many successful churches or new
movements, which are drawing great crowds and are famous throughout the world,
be aware that the Lord Jesus warned us not to jump on the bandwagon too
quickly. Where everybody is going is most likely not the troubled road with the
narrow gate. For example if everyone joins the movement of healing miracles,
and of signs and wonders, and of speaking in tongues, which was a 19th
century innovation, then we know that this is not the troubled way with the
narrow gate.

Another Example of the First and the
Last (Luke 13:23-30)

Please
turn to the
right in your Bible, to the Gospel according to Luke 13:23 (2X). This
was another time when the Lord Jesus was asked about the few and the many.
The Lord Jesus took this opportunity to take this matter of the few and the
many and link it to the puzzle of the First and the Last. Again, this is
a confirmation that we are on the right track in Matt 20. Historically, who
were the ones hired First? The Jews, or the children of Israel, were
hired First. They had to take care of the Tabernacle, and the burnt
offerings, and they were the keepers of the oracles of God written on rolls of
paper. Historically, who were the ones hired Last? The Gentile nations
were hired Last. Entire nations were under the wrath of God for many
centuries. Their beginning to be called was when the Last Days began, which
according to Acts 2 began on Pentecost of AD 33. Let us read Luke 13:23,

Lu
13:23-24 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said
unto them:Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Lu 13:25When once
the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to
stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and
he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

Lu 13:26-27Then
shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast
taught in our streets.But he shall
say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

Lu 13:28There shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and youyourselves thrust out.

Lu 13:29And they
shall come from the east, and from
the west, and from the north, and from
the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

Lu 13:30And, behold, there are last which
shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

Who was the Lord Jesus speaking to?
He spoke with the Jews. Jews who had no use for a Messiah who asked
people to repent, and who died on a Roman cross in shame. They were Jews who
adhered to the Laws of Moses, and no Messiah was going to draw them away
to a new religion. But the Lord Jesus said that their unbelief classified them
as workers of iniquity. The expression “weeping and
gnashing of teeth” is pointing to the fact that they will be in Hell. And who
will be those present at the great wedding feast of Christ and the church?
There will be “Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets”.
Joining them will be Gentiles coming “from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south”, meaning from all
over the world. And then Jesus said in verse 30, “Behold, there are last
which shall be first”, referring to the Gentiles who were Last, meaning
under the wrath of God, but who will become First, meaning they will be
children of God. And there are those who were First, referring to the
Jews, or to the children of Israel, who were supposed to be children of God,
but they shall be Last, meaning that they will come under the wrath of
God. Not all the Gentiles will be saved; only a remnant, in accord with Matt
7:13-14. Not all the Jews will come under condemnation; a remnant will be
saved, in accord with Matt 7:13-14. And why is it that most Jews and Gentiles
will be under the wrath of God? Because:

Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen
(Matt 8:5-12, Gal 3:28-29)

Please
turn again to
the Gospel of Matthew 8:5 (2X). Only a remnant is chosen to sit with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God and to celebrate the great
wedding feast of Christ and the church. Here is another example of those
who were Last who became First. And others who were hired First became Last.
Again, this example refers to the Jews and the Gentiles. Matt 8:5-12,

Mt 8:5-6 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came
unto him a centurion, beseeching him,And
saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

Mt 8:7And Jesus
saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

Mt 8:8The centurion
answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my
roof: But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

Mt 8:9For I am a man
under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another,
Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

Mt 8:10-11When Jesus
heard it, he marvelled, and said to
them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no,
not in Israel.And I say unto you,
That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Mt 8:12But the
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When
Jesus said, “Many shall come from the east and
west” this referred to Gentiles who were
coming into the Kingdom of God. But who are those in verse 12 that are called “the
children of the kingdom”? These are Jews who historically were supposed to
be the Children of the Kingdom, but through their unbelief they were
disqualified from this honorable position. Where is their destiny? Again, Jesus
used the expression “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” to
indicate that they will be in Hell, under the wrath of God. Let us make sure,
however, that we do not generalize in this matter of damnation. In the NT time there
is no more a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Under the cross all nations
receive equal treatment, because God says in Gal 3:28,

Ga 3:28There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Ga 3:29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise.

Since
Abraham is called “the father of all believers”, to be spiritually
Abraham’s seed means to be heirs of the NH&NE. Both Jewish believers and
Gentile believers are all one in Christ. Today we must not make a
distinction between Jewish believers and Gentile believers, because that would
rob Christ of the oneness in Him. All believers are now called saints,
regardless our physical descent. We do not become sons of God by the will of
the flesh, nor by the will of man, and certainly not by being born in the
bloodline of Jacob. Why did this centurion have such great faith? God gave
it to him. Faith is a gift from God, and it is given to those whom God
delights to give it. They are called chosen, because they were chosen by
God from before the foundation of the world. And they were:

#3.Chosen to Hear About Rewards (Luke
17:10)

Please
turn in your
Bibles again to the Gospel according to Luke 17:10 (2X). Wickedness
abounds in the church-world today. Many fairytales have been woven around this
subject matter of “extra rewards in heaven”. Some people think that we receive
an extra jewel in the crown we are going to wear. I will not discuss such
nonsense. This matter of understanding rewards is connected to the mysterious
clause of the First and the Last. Today I have taken you from an
apparently benign Parable of the First and the Last in Matt chapter 20 to an
ominous connection in Matt chapter 22 where Hell is in view, from which we can
see that the First and the Last refer to the many who are called and the few
who were chosen by God before the foundation of the world. The Gospel call goes
out into the world, so there are many who hear the Gospel call, but there are
only a few who believe it, and these are the few who have been chosen. They
believe because God the Holy Spirit has caused them to believe. Then I have led
you to another ominous example of the First and the Last in Luke chapter 13
where Hell is in view. Then I have led you to another example of the few who
are chosen in Matt chapter 8 where again Hell is in view. All these references
must be taken into account when we study the matter of rewards, and especially
when we want to know about special rewards in heaven. Apparently verses such as
Luke 17:10 have become very unpopular, because they are not well known.
Here the Lord Jesus says,

Lu
17:10So likewise ye, when ye
shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Again,
let me repeat this plain statement, “We are unprofitable servants: we have
done that which was our duty to do”. We must not expect any special rewards
in heaven for work done here on earth. God made known to everyone who is
willing to read and study the Bible that seeking special rewards in the life
hereafter for works done here on earth is the road to Hell. God made
that clear in no uncertain terms. The laborers who were hired First
showed by their actions that they were on the road to Hell. They were called Last
because that is the label attached to coming under damnation. Those who were
initially called Last, bore that name because they were under the
wrath of God until the eleventh hour, until the time that they received the
special call to work for the Lord Jesus Christ. These have received the
special call that identifies the elect, because they received the Gift,
whereas those who were hired early in the morning did not receive the
special call, because they never received the Gift. And then we have
seen how this Parable of the First and the Last could be applied to Jews and
Gentiles. But the Bible was written for all times, and for all places. Today in
God’s sight there is neither Jew nor Gentile. And so we must apply this
situation of Jews and Gentiles to people in the church. The underlying
principle still stands: Those who seek rewards in the life hereafter for their
own works done here in this life, will receive the wrath of God as their
reward. These are the First hired who will be Last. In other words they will
receive their reward at the end of the line, when an infinite time in Hell has
been spent. But when we turn our eyes on the church we can see examples of Pharisees
and publicans. The Pharisees identify with those who have been hired First, and
the publicans with those who have been hired Last. The Pharisees were those who
had the task of teaching people what the Word of God says. But the Pharisees
cooked up their own modifications of the Gospel, and so they ended up with a
works gospel. This is exactly what is happening today. Many Pastors teach that
special rewards are waiting us when we get to heaven. They have mixed the grace
of God with the works of man. Do they not realize that all the fairy tales
about special rewards in heaven are a relic from the Roman Catholic era? These
are doctrines that are taught in the RC church. We should stay away from these
as far as we can. It is true that there are special rewards, and these are
found in Mark chapter 10. But when we search for those who receive an
hundredfold in this life, with persecutions, we find that they are those who
have truly become saved, and who expect nothing else than eternal life in the
NH&NE. And that is the bottom line we have derived from the Parable of the
First and the Last.